VOA慢速英语2010年-Economics Report - GM to Test Investor

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.

America's biggest carmaker accepted fifty billion dollars in federal aid from the Obama and Bush administrations. People joked that GM meant "Government Motors." Now, General Motors could be on the road to recovery.

The company recorded over two and a half billion dollars in profit in the first half of the year. The government still owns sixty-one percent of GM as a result of the bailout. Canada is also a shareholder¹. But now GM plans to sell stock to the public again.

GM spent just forty days in bankruptcy². It sought protection from its creditors³ in June of last year. GM restructured. It discontinued some vehicles and closed dealerships and factories.

In April, GM repaid almost seven billion dollars in government loans. Many of its creditors are waiting to see how much they get.

GM plans an IPO, an initial public offering of stock, later this year. The company could raise as much as fifteen billion dollars.

Chief executive Edward Whitacre is leaving September first. He wants the government to sell all of its shares in the company during the IPO. Many experts believe the Treasury⁵ will act slowly over time after the public offering is completed.

GM's 2010 Camaro RS is on display above a row of Corvettes at the Kendall Chevrolet dealership⁴ in Miami, Florida

If the stock price rises, the government could profit from the rescue. But the IPO is risky⁶ for the company. The offering will test the willingness of investors⁷ to take an equity⁸ share in the "new GM."

Buying equity is not like buying bonds. Bonds represent a loan. Equity represents ownership. Investors willing to buy equity shares in a company expect one thing -- growth.

GM believes it can make that happen, in part with a new electric-and-gas hybrid⁹.

COMMERCIAL: "Chevy Volt¹⁰, a car that can go up to forty miles before it uses any gas at all. That's an American revolution."

The Volt is expected to start arriving in showrooms later this year.

GM is also looking overseas. The world’s fastest growing car markets are in developing nations. GM is now selling more cars in China than in the United States. GM still leads the American market, though Toyota is now the biggest car company in the world.

There are signs that America's big three may have put the worst of their recent troubles behind them.

Chrysler also went through bankruptcy and says its sales are up. Italy's Fiat¹¹ holds a twenty percent share.

Ford¹² Motor Company avoided bankruptcy and refused government help. Ford reported close to five billion dollars in profit for the first six months of the year.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

 

1 shareholder   

n.股东，股票持有人

参考例句：

• The account department have prepare a financial statement for the shareholder.财务部为股东准备了一份财务报表。
• A shareholder may transfer his shares in accordance with the law.股东持有的股份可以依法转让。

2 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

3 creditors   

n.债权人，债主( creditor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They agreed to repay their creditors over a period of three years. 他们同意3年内向债主还清欠款。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Creditors could obtain a writ for the arrest of their debtors. 债权人可以获得逮捕债务人的令状。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 dealership   

n.商品特许经销处

参考例句：

• The car dealership has a large inventory of used cars. 这家汽车经销商拥有数量庞大的二手车。
• A key to this effort is the experience in the dealership. 达到这个成果的关键是销售的体验。

5 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

6 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

7 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

8 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

9 hybrid   

n.(动，植）杂种，混合物

参考例句：

• That is a hybrid perpetual rose.那是一株杂交的四季开花的蔷薇。
• The hybrid was tall,handsome,and intelligent.那混血儿高大、英俊、又聪明。

10 volt   

n.伏特，伏

参考例句：

• You may use 100 and 110 volt appliances in your room.您可以在房间使用100及110伏特的电器。
• The common service voltage of electric power in our country is 220/380 volt.我国普通供电电压为220/380伏。

11 fiat   

n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布

参考例句：

• The opening of a market stall is governed by municipal fiat.开设市场摊位受市政法令管制。
• He has tried to impose solutions to the country's problems by fiat.他试图下令强行解决该国的问题。

12 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。